Oliver Stone calls NSA whistleblower Eric Snowden a 'hero'

Tallying the names of those who think National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden is a hero? There’s another entry to add to the motley list, which already includes Michael Moore, Glenn Beck and Ron Paul.

“Snowden is a hero,” proclaimed Hollywood director Oliver Stone during an appearance at the Shanghai International Film Festival in China on Monday, a proclamation met with “thunderous applause,” according to Hollywood Reporter correspondent Richard Trombley.

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“Stone went on to praise the founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, and whistleblower Bradley Manning. He condemned President Obama’s administration for prosecuting six whistleblower cases despite campaign promises of a more progressive administration,” Mr. Trombley said in his dispatch.

Mr. Stone also helped conduct a seminar titled “How Does Film Have Its Influence on Real Life”, moderated by state-owned newspaper China Daily film critic Raymond Zhou, who attempted to keep the discussion cultural rather than political.

Yes, well. Mr. Stone went on to rant against the George W. Bush administration, the Iraq war, the Kuwait Invasion and American imperialism.

“Mr. Stone, you sound like one of China’s angry young men,” Mr. Zhou observed.

A CNN poll released Monday, incidentally, found that 52 percent of Americans disapproved of Mr. Snowden’s actions.